Ring of Honor - Mar 16, 2013

-Video replay of Kevin Steen retaining the ROH title against Jay Lethal at the 11th Anniversary Show. The clip includes the post-match angle that unveiled the new and improved SCUM faction. Matt Hardy, Jimmy Rave, Cliff Compton, and Rhett Titus all joined the group in one fell swoop.

-From Chicago Ridge, IL. Our hosts are Kevin Kelly and Caleb Seltzer.

-The show opens with Nigel McGuinness standing in the ring, surrounded by the entire non-SCUM ROH roster. Nigel says that SCUM is threatening the very existence of ROH and won the first battle. Nigel believes ROH can win this fight if they can stand united. McGuinness promises future title shots for Adam Cole and BJ Whitmer. Nigel makes Jay Lethal vs. Michael Elgin for Supercard of Honor in a #1 Contenders match. Roderick Strong interrupts and gets chastised. Nigel hopes Mark Briscoe can take the title as well. Nigel doesn’t have as much faith in Jay Briscoe, who has a hurt arm. Jay says he can get it done at Supercard of Honor. McGuinness reveals that SCUM has been banned from the building tonight and he plans on talking to the group. The entire roster gets behind Nigel in a rather ECW-ish moment and pose for the camera. This was a good way to follow up the 11th Anniversary Show and gets the ball rolling forwards.

-Veda Scott puts over Supercard of Honor in a commercial. The American Wolves are hunting the newly crowned tag team champions of Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish.

The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) vs. ACH and Tadarius Thomas

Richards tangles with ACH first. ACH scores first with a hurricanrana. Eddie gets a tag but ACH rolls out of the corner to avoid getting double teamed. Thomas tags and trades holds with Edwards. Davey tags and delivers some stiff offense. Thomas cartwheels over stereo clotheslines from the Wolves on the apron but is quickly overwhelmed. The Wolves quicken the tags to put a hurting on Thomas. Hangman clothesline by Thomas allows a hot tag to ACH, who delivers rapid fire flying offense. High cross body by ACH almost finishes Edwards. ACH spears Eddie on the apron and dives in for a cutter on Richards. The Wolves are cleared from the ring for a back hand spring moonsault by Thomas and the “Air Jordan” dive from ACH. Inverted hurricanrana by ACH, but Eddie breaks the cover with a splash. The Wolves hit the Alarm Clock on Thomas but get caught with an enziguri by ACH. Davey counters a springboard moonsault and nails the Tombstone. Thomas breaks the cover, but the Wolves come back with a power bomb/backstabber combo for the win at 8:04. This was spectacular for the time it was given.Winners: The American Wolves

BJ Whitmer vs. QT Marshall (with RD Evans)

Evans quickly grabs Whitmer’s ankle for a distraction. QT capitalizes with a lot of punching and kicking. Swinging DDT by Marshall gets a 2 count. Whitmer explodes with a big boot to signal a comeback. The Flatliner, followed by repeated knee strikes to the head, finishes this at 2:58. This served it’s purpose.Winner: BJ Whitmer

-Kevin Kelly hosts Inside Ring of Honor!
Matt Taven’s TV title victory over Adam Cole is being touted as one of the biggest upsets in company history. We’ll hear from the new champion next week, as well as Matt Hardy, who was supposed to be getting a TV title shot against Cole.

New ROH Tag Team Champions were also crowned at the 11th Anniversary Show when Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly defeated the Briscoes. Fish and O’Reilly, collectively known as Red Dragon, forced ROH officials to personally strap the belts around their waists.

Jay Lethal cuts a promo putting over the effort he made against Kevin Steen at the 11th Anniversary Show. The best wrestlers in history are the ones who get back up when they’ve been knocked down.

Red Dragon know everyone is gunning for them now that they have the tag titles. They plan on putting down a couple of mangy dogs at Supercard of Honor.
The American Wolves respond to Red Dragon. Davey Richards says Red Dragon is nothing until they knock down the Wolves. Eddie Edwards says the new champions are nothing more than fresh meat.

-Veda Scott hosts another commercial for Supercard of Honor. Charlie Haas is looking forward to finishing off Shelton Benjamin after giving him his future endeavors.

-We get a “viewer discretion advised” warning because Truth Martini is in the next segment.

-Truth Martini, TV Champion Matt Taven, and a couple of “hoopla hotties” come to the ring. Truth dubs this segment ‘Hoopla Uncut” and it will be a talk show about love, pain, and hoopla. Truth says that since ROH is a national television company, it makes Taven the most important champion in ROH. Taven pulls the TV title out of his pants and the girls admire it as if it was his penis. Truth instructs the women to take their pants off and they cut the cameras. That was weird.

roderick Strong vs. Jay Lethal

Nigel McGuinness joins commentary for the main event. Strong and Lethal quickly wrestle to a stalemate. They trade counters and come to a second stalemate. Lethal scores a drop-kick for a 2 count. Strong counters a head scissors and dodges a springboard drop-kick. Slingshot roll-up by Roderick and a backbreaker. Cue the chinlock! Lethal absorbs some chops and throws some of his own. Lethal Combination sends Strong to the floor for a beautiful suicide dive! Strong rebounds but Lethal fires back with a super-kick. The Lethal Injection is countered with a backbreaker. They trade counters and Lethal bounces back with the Lethal Injection for the win at 6:50! This was like watching one of their 20 minute matches on fast-forward. I was distracted because I kept waiting for a SCUM run-in.Winner: Jay Lethal

Final Thoughts: This show finally has some momentum going for it coming out of the 11th Anniversary Show. It might have been a questionable decision to hold SCUM off this episode but I will admit it’s building some intrigue for their advertised appearance next week. The wrestling this week was all fine for what it needed to be, Thumbs Up.